The life of 56-year-old Vadym Volkov was taken by the artillery shelling of Mariupol. On March 13, 2022, he was wounded in the yard of his apartment building and died from his injuries on March 15.
During Russia’s full-scale invasion, Vadym lived in the city’s Central District. Until March 7, he, his wife, and their son sheltered in the corridor of their apartment. When residential neighborhoods began coming under air strikes and the situation became extremely dangerous, the family moved into the basement.
“Dampness, dust, and cold. Human comfort became secondary because the main task was survival. We were not prepared for war or such conditions and had only small supplies of food and water. March was very cold. We lived in constant fear around the clock: continuous strikes, the sounds of aircraft, bombs, and tank battles behind the building. The walls were shaking. But we survived, rationing the remaining food and water. At first, we heated water in the basement using a gas blowtorch that Vadym had brought. His tools helped us survive,” his wife Kateryna recalled.
On the morning of March 13, Vadym left the basement and went into the courtyard. An artillery attack began. He suffered severe shrapnel wounds.
“Nurses from our building provided first aid. The injuries were very serious, and we started looking for a way to get Vadym to a hospital. But because of the constant shelling, there was nothing we could do. He died on March 15, most likely from internal bleeding. About two days later, we moved his body to a boiler house in the yard. We then decided to bury him behind the building. But by that time our district was already occupied by Russian forces, and we were unable to do so,” Kateryna added.
Vadym Volkov was born in Russia’s Kaliningrad region. In 1988, his family moved to Ukraine and settled in Mariupol. In 1992, he graduated from Mariupol Metallurgical Institute (Pryazovskyi State Technical University) with a degree in Power Supply of Industrial Enterprises.
He worked at Azovmash and later spent more than 20 years at the printing house of the Pryazovskyi Robitnyk newspaper, where he worked as an electrician and equipment technician. Since 2021, he had been employed at the Port City shopping and entertainment center as part of an electrical maintenance team.
“Vadym had a natural talent for fixing and building anything. He was highly educated and spoke English fluently. He was, and will always remain in our memories, a kind, decent, and loving person,” his wife recalled.
Kateryna found Vadym’s body in April 2022 in the village of Manhush near Mariupol. His grave was marked with the number 225. The local “forensic examination” listed ischemic heart disease as the cause of death.
Vadym is survived by his mother, sister, son, and wife.
At 9:00 a.m., Ukraine observes a nationwide minute of silence. The Donetsk Regional Military Administration and the Memorial platform commemorate the residents of Donetsk region killed by Russia.